Americans fire warning shots in Gulf

An American warship fired warning shots at an Iranian speedboat last month, the Pentagon said yesterday.

In one of two incidents in the Gulf, the amphibious warship Whidbey Island fired shots when it was approached by an Iranian speedboat on Dec 19.

A spokesman said that the Iranian boat stopped when the shots were fired. It was the first official confirmation that US warning shots had been fired in a recent confrontation in the Gulf.

The second incident involved the guided missile frigate Carr, which "came in very close contact with three small boats".

The reports come after the US released film of five Iranian Revolutionary Guard boats apparently harassing a naval patrol in the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday, in which the Americans received a radio warning that their ships would "explode".